Truly a pleasant surprise! Wasn't expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did.

Pours a deep golden hue, with a fuzzy kind of haze that yet retains clarity. Beautiful head rolls upward as I pour and sticks around for a bit, dissipating into a nice crown with dregs of lacing sticking to the side. Impressive for the style.

The aromas are all sweet and malty, but crisp. Sweet bread and grain, with some something pretty... a little off-floral, without being identifiable. Yeast and rising bread.

The taste follows the nose, with cracker, fresh-baked doughy bread, yeasty goodness, and some mild fruity and flowery notes to round things out. Bitterness is present in the very back of this picture, just barely being present enough to support the rest of this composition. Sweet on the front, with some subtle bitterness in the middle, and a long sweet, bready finish. Just when you think the ensemble is all sweet, a mild but noticable bitter punch hits you in the very back of your throat, as if to say "notice me; there's more to me than just that".

Mouthfeel is medium, a little on the lighter side, very much like a lager or a pilsner, yet with some extra tooth added by the creaminess of a robust carbonation. Smooth; so very smooth.

Overall, I'm loving this brew. My final opinion can be summed up quite succinctly: MMmmm, Beer! If there were such a thing as a generic, but quintessential beer, at least toward the American experience, this would be it. The style taken to its proper place. (1,505 characters)

Hazy fierry orange color. A slight ivory white head settles into a very thin film and retains from there on out. Seems like a sweet fruitiness on the nose. Melons. Passion fruit sort of thing. This is not a bitter tasting PA, but very tasty nonetheless. I really like the flavor profile I'm getting from the Ringwood. The fruit tones are distinctive. The maltiness complex. And the hoppiness is present, but it shares the limelight in this PA. Passion fruit and melons come to mind again on the palate. A sugary sweet accent as well....brown sugar like. Body is a notch up from medium. Not your typical pale ale, but very tasty.

Was able to try this brew on cask last evening. It was pulled to an orange/copper color with a fair sized head that had pretty good retention and leaves a nice amount of lacing. The aroma seems to be mostly hops but you can pick up hints of a buttery scent. Over all it is a good aromatic brew. The taste has a definite floral hop taste but I am also able to pick up a nice malt flavor that really is a nice accent. Also can notice an aftertaste that reminds me more of fruit, than hops? Over all it was a real nice offering. Would get this brew again. Will have to grab some in bottles for a evening. (601 characters)

Solid cap of white head on this clear gold ale. Nose is sweet, clean malt and a light citrus hop. Light graininess and slight chalkiness. Clean refreshing flavour. Well balanced between malt and hops, hints of lemon and mild finishing bitterness. Smooth bodied and moderately carbonated, this is an easy drinking, refreshing brew. Should appeal to BAs and the masses alike. (373 characters)

I love the local reviews. Syracuse Pale Ale for this fine October evening

A- As orange as the orangemen. There is a thick head of foam that quickly disappears leaving fair white lacing on the side. Very clear though

S- the famous MA patented ringwood yeast shines through. There is some delicious tangerine tones that reach through as well. The malt is definitely present as well

T- I love this. Middle Ages just makes an enjoyable brew. The buttery yeast presence is topped off with a tasty fruity theme. The flavor is fantastic. The end of the taste is completely bitter and that literally completes the brew

M- a little too carbonated for me. Flavor is pretty good

D- SPA is totally drinkable. I highly recommend trying this brew. A real depiction of an English Pale Ale as crafted by some fine people in syracuse, ny (825 characters)

One of the staple beers in my fridge - rarely is there a time when there aren't a few bottles of this kicking around in there. If there aren't, it's because I went to the brewery and they had MacGregor's Ale (similar, but single varietal hopped with Centennial - mmmm!) for growler fills.

Bright amber, an offwhite head that lasts for a little while, and a nose of hop flowers, sweet malt, and a hint of diacetyl (hey, it's a Ringwood yeast brew...) that works in tying it together.

Ahh, the balance. Hoppy (bitter and flavor) but not overly so, a firm yet slightly caramelly, fruity maltiness, a diacetyl hit mid-sip that plays off the hops and rounds out the flavor profile, with whiffs of alcohol and grain as the sip finishes, leaving a dry, slightly bitter green apple and butterscotchy finish. Ever so quaffable. (824 characters)

The aromas of musty woodsy ringwood yeast and piney floral hops start off this beer. The flavor right off the bat is a nice balanced malt with a slight background of hops. The malt is slightly toasty, and not too sweet. Almost Italian bread-ish. The mouth feel is light and very easy to drink. Not too much carbonation, barely any actually. Which makes me think of a cask ale. very nice. I have become a fan of this beer. When I first had it a long time ago, I swore I would never drink it again. I am definitely a changed man. (527 characters)

Pours a clear orange color with a 1/2 inch head. The head lasted through half the drink. The aroma had floral, orange, and malt tones. The flavor was nicely balanced. The malt was slighlty sweeter than in other pale ales and there was a decent hop bitterness. Orange was also detectable by the tongue.

The mouthfeel was smooth and carbonation levels were lighter than expected. This is a medium bodied beer, and I found this to be quite drinkable. A decent session beer and a good offering in the pale ale arena. (515 characters)

Bright orange with moderate carbonation and a bubbly white head that goes away pretty quickly. Mild hop aroma, yeasty fruits (apples, appricots, oranges), and that distinctive Ringwood diacetyl. Juicy peaches and orange peels ride atop a persistent butteriness. Although this isn't what I necessarily expect from a pale ale, this really wasn't bad and actually worked quite well with the vegan mac-n-"cheese" casserole I had for dinner. Super drinkability. Went over well with dinner guests, too. I'll definitely buy this again as a session beer. (546 characters)

Pours a crystal clear orange amber with some wispy white lace that is retained
Aromas of sweet floral hops, some darker malt and fruit.
Flavor is smooth with a crisp malty and biscuity taste. Bread and butter aroma notes come to mind.
Mouthfeel starts with a malt sweetness and then shifts to a bitterness with some citrus notes.
Drinkability is very pleasing, nice solid beer from a great NY brewer.
Thanks to PPoitras for the Middle Ages sampler. (455 characters)

Tastes like Bass Ale only fresher and better than what you get from Bass in the U.S. Mild malt flavor backed with earthy woody tones of Fuggles. Easy drinkability for a session or goes great with food of various origins. Well crafted beer once again from Middle Ages. (267 characters)

12ozer, purchased at Oliver's Beverage, Albany, NY, as part of a group of Middle Ages singles.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, 1/2" slightly off-white head formed, and held it's own with excellent foamy lace. Brew is a light copper tone and has a hoppy aroma which has yeasty undertones. Taste is initally of the light malts, crosses over to bitterness for the main attraction, and then fades with a crisp, somewhat fruity aftertaste. A nice respresentaion of the Pale Ale style. (487 characters)

Poured a brilliant, slightly hazy orange color with massive white puffy head. Much attractive sticky lacing.
Smell is very subdued with only a mild summer fruitiness to be found.
Taste is also very light. I detect a slight bit of summer fruit and a touch of hops at the ned. Very light and refreshing with a somewhat shallow mouthfeel.
Easy to drink, but I like their other beers better. (390 characters)

We pour a brew of robust golden yellow. It holds a two finger head of creamy whitish bubbles. This shows great retention, leaving thick sheets of lacing down the glass. There is a chill haze to it, with no sediment noted. Carbonation is robustly active. The nose shows metallic pale malts, and lightly adjuncty chalk. The hops to balance are floral and lemony, giving a slight pucker. With warmth comes plastic phenols, adding bitterness, and a chalky grassiness. Our first impression is that the flavoring is refreshing, but a bit on the light side. As we sip, cleanly toasted pale malts hit first, mixing with soft citric malts, and light wheatiness. Lemon juice bitterness works in, with moderate chalky dryness. The peak comes with metallics, pale malts, baker’s yeast, citric fruitiness, and bittering mineral. We finish the swallow on notes of sweeter malts, with flashes of white sugar, floral and citric hops, more chalky, plastic phenols that bounce off the ethanol, and muddy pale malts. The aftertaste breathers of booze, those muddy pale malts, chalk, plastic phenols, light metallic adjuncts, and black pepper. The body is medium, and the carbonation is full. The latter gives big froth and cream to the sip, whereas there is nice slurp and pop on the back. The mouth is wet and happy, with slightly puckering astringency by the final drop. The abv is appropriate, and the beer glugs easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was the cleanliness of flavoring, and the drinkability. The flavor starts freshly, with nice pale malts, and a citric hop blend. This stays true to the very end, where the malts become a bit more muddy and bittering. This really doesn’t affect drinkability that much though. Coupled with the nose and slurp, this is a great go-to pale ale, and a well-kept local secret. (1,825 characters)

Pours a dark orange golden color with a thin white head that fades into a wispy lace. Nose is sweet grains, fresh fruit, floral hops, and yeast. Light to medium in body and quite crisp. Taste is sweet malt and butterscotch up front followed by notes of bitter and acidic citrusy hops that leave a dry finish. Another fine brew from Middle Ages that I wish was available in Texas. Thanks to Denali and stegmakk for the sample! (425 characters)

nice orange color with a nice sweet aroma. Not much of a head. The taste is different. Really sweet and fruity and therefore reallly easy to drink. Intruiging flavor. The mouthfeel is almost sticky and smooth. Nice non-amazing Pale Ale. My first Middle Ages. (258 characters)

MUCH different in the bottle than it is on cask. Dark light golden/amber colour with a head of white foam that dies down quickly, but stays, and leaves some lacing. Carbonation is here, but not in your face. The aroma is fruity, estery, and really showcases this breweries use of their house yeast strain (ringwood). Buttery aromas come into play as well, but they are not too intense. Hops are definately more in the background here, and I find myself asking the question, "is this a magic hat brew?" The taste is good, but where are the hops in this bottled brew? This stuff is buttery, and fruity up front with a ton of yeast flavor, unfortunately the citrusy hop flavors that were so prevalent in the cask version of this brew just fade to the background here. Mouthfeel is light and cask-like, and drinkability is good, but this is such a different beer on cask. The lightness in flavor of the bottled version just doesnt really do it for me. Sorry guys! (959 characters)

Poured an off white head that disappeared pretty quickly, leaves just a bit of lacing. It is copper in color, with an orange hue, very tranparent. The smell is faint, the malt and hops are balanced. Not that hoppy for a pale ale, maybe a slight citrus note, but combined with the yeast flavor its hard to detect. This is a very drinkable beer, no strong flavors, kind of reminds me of a more flavorful mild ale. (411 characters)

Thanks ShiniTriad for the bottle!
A cold beer and carefull pour left me with nothing in the means of head. The colour shines but the body is hazed over. Fair aroma, a very light use of hops, enough to lend some grassy (maybe slightly estery) highlights. Cabonation on the level and texture just right. A highly quaffable pale ale, they've done the job at making an easy drinking pint that still offers some character. Flavour has a soft malt touch, very British style again, a characteristic of this brewery. Great balance and malt that never fails to show up. Not overly hoppy, or anything mind-blowing - that's their bag I dont think. In a market of American craft breweries that try to outdo eachother with innovative, high gravity remakes, it's refreshing to find a solid, simple, traditional style product. They make a quality product, that is simple but solid. A great quality ale, exactly the craftmenship I expected from Middle Ages. (942 characters)

Shared a pitcher at Kelly Cole's. Looks a pretty amber with a short head. Smells of estery fruit. Tastes of ringwood with a mix of fruit and creamy butterscotch over lightly carmelized grains and grassy hops. This isnt an amazing-tasting beer, but its very nice and one of my favorite local session beers. (305 characters)

This Middle Ages offering pours a slightly orangish-gold with a full head that leaves an even layer after a few moments.
The aroma is sharp & clean. Malty and fruity.
Clean taste too. Very mild with a slight butterscotch taste. The diacetyl notes become more apparent as the beer warms a bit and the finish is a bit on the sour side.
Slick mouthfeel and a little overcarbonated for my tastes.
A good, easy drinker in my book as long as you don't let it get too warm. Thanks to Stegmakk for the chance to sample this midwest rarity. (537 characters)

A: The beer is a dark gold color, with a short foamy white head that fades slowly and leaves a very thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, citrus, honey and some hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with a hearty malt character up front. Then some sweetness comes in from flavors of caramel, honey and citrus. The hops presence is strong but not over-powering and brings a decent balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style even though it seems to lean more toward the English Pale Ale style, this is a solid beer to drink for a while. (809 characters)